Year 6 Final surrender report for EL 27624 Mount Sainthill

Abstract

EL 27624 lies 200 km north-east of Alice Spring within the high grade metamorphic eastern Arunta region. Previous workers in the area have not been successful in drilling any economic mineralisation on EL 27624. Mostly they have concentrated on Molyhil (W-Mo) skarn lookalikes with an associated magnetic anomaly. To date, no other skarns have been found, the magnetic anomaly often being the result of magnetite concentrations in the underlying gneiss or schists. Calc-silicate geology appears to be common, but has not yet returned economic grades from rock chip sampling or drilling. A literature review and magnetic interpretation of the area suggested an unusual linear and sigmoidal zone of strong magnetics located within the Delny-Mt Sainthill Shear Zone. A portable scintillometer returned only low order throughout this area. Our earlier rock chip sampling has highlighted anomalous Zn, Cu, Ag and Pb. Field reconnaissance during year 3 was directed at understanding the regolith geology, structure and alteration. Aster imagery data was examined, but found to be inconclusive. A field visit conducted in October 2102 failed to confirm previous assays using a niton XRF analyser. Field observation indicates that alteration is extensive over tens of km?s across the Huckitta tenements. The alteration is dominated by calc-silicate mineralogy (epidote-quartz, garnet, amphibole and hornfels). Soil samples have proven little use in this area but do provide some useful insight. Despite the low order soil geochemistry, the scale of visible alteration and the regional structures in the area (namely the Delny Shear Zone and Entire Point Shear Zone), Bralich and Riding consider the tenement prospective albeit low order grass roots level. However due to difficult markets and funding Bralich and Riding surrendered the tenement on the 26 May 2016.